UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
IRIN-West Africa Update 118, 98.1.7

IRIN-West Africa Update 118, 98.1.7


U N I T E D N A T I O N S Department of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network for West Africa

Tel: +225 21-73-54 Fax: +225 21-63-35 e-mail: irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci

IRIN-WA Update 118 of Events in West Africa, (Wednesday) 7 January 1998

[As a supplement to its weekly round-ups of main events in West Africa, IRIN-WA will produce a daily synopsis of reports on the region. IRIN issues these reports for the benefit of the humanitarian community but accepts no responsibility as to the accuracy of the original source.]

LIBERIA: Government silences Star Radio

The Liberian government closed down Monrovia's independent Star Radio on Wednesday, station manager George Bennett told IRIN. A closure order from Post and Telecommunications Minister Maxwell Kaba accused Star Radio of illegally using two frequencies allocated to its partner station, Radio Monrovia. These frequencies had not been authorised by the minister, the order said.

Bennett told IRIN Star Radio's broadcasting permission had indeed been agreed with the government. Radio Monrovia also faced a US$ 5,000 fine, according to the station manager. "But I am hopeful an arrangement can be re-negotiated," Bennett said.

Star Radio broadcasts started in Liberia in July 1997 during the presidential election campaign which ended Liberia's seven-year civil war.

SIERRA LEONE: New tension between AFRC and ECOMOG over jet sortie

Tension heightened between Sierra Leone's Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the West African peacekeeping force ECOMOG on Wednesday over an incident in which a Nigerian ECOMOG jet circled the capital, Freetown.

After an AFP dispatch said it had dropped three bombs in the west of the city, ECOMOG commander Major General Victor Malu insisted there had been no such attack. He told IRIN a jet had indeed been dispatched to check reports of sanctions violations by ships in the area but had returned to Monrovia because of poor visibility.

Humanitarian sources in Freetown also told IRIN on Wednesday they were sceptical ECOMOG had bombed the capital. "I heard a crackle of gunfire - the usual anti-aircraft shots, but no detonations," one source said. "If a bomb had been dropped we would have known about it," another source said.

AFRC official gaoled for looting Iranian embassy

The AFRC has arrested the Sierra Leone army corporal who announced the May 1997 coup which brought it to power, AFP reported on Tuesday. Corporal Tamba Gorbie was earlier sacked from the AFRC for looting the Iranian embassy in Freetown on New Year's eve.

According to AFP, guards at the Pademba Road prison said Gorbie looked "visibly angry" when he was brought in. Five other people were also arrested on Tuesday for allegedly encouraging members of the former rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), now allied with the AFRC, to mutiny against the military government.

NIGERIA: Foreign Minister briefs African diplomats

Nigerian Foreign Minister Tom Ikimi briefed African diplomats in Abuja on Tuesday about last month's alleged coup plot, news organisations reported. Ikimi told them that initial investigations suggested "possible foreign involvement" in the 21 December plot to overthrow the military government. It was not clear if the diplomats were shown videos said to support the conspiracy charges, including a confession by one of the detainees.

Video confessions were also made following the alleged 1995 coup plot in which several prominent Nigerian leaders were arrested. Critics discounted the confessions as having been extracted under duress. Nigeria's deputy leader Lieutenant General Oladipo Diya was arrested last month along with 10 other senior military officers and a civilian aide to the defence chief on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government. The authorities have made further arrests but no names have been released.

Absolute loyalty urged

In a related development, Nigerian military and security personnel as well as civilians working for the presidency were warned to be vigilant and maintain absolute loyalty to the country and its head of state and commander-in-chief, General Sani Abacha, Nigerian television reported on 5 January.

MALI: Opposition refuses to participate in National Forum

The opposition coalition of 18 "radical" political parties has refused to participate in a national forum aimed at resolving Mali's political crisis, AFP reported on Tuesday. One of the coalition leaders, Oumar Hamadoun Dicko, said they would only agree to direct talks with President Alpha Oumar Konare.

There has been a political crisis in Mali since legislative elections were annulled in April 1997 amid controversy over poor organisation and a subsequent coalition decision to boycott new elections. Critics charged that the opposition, faced with financial constraints and Konare's popularity, had deliberately sabotaged the electoral process.

The crisis culminated in the death of a police officer at an opposition rally on 10 August 1997. Several opposition leaders were arrested. They have since been released in a bid by Konare to resolve the crisis through dialogue, of which the national forum is the most recent initiative.

Students protest

Meanwhile, students barricaded major highways in the capital, Bamako, and hurled stones in a confrontation with police on Tuesday, news organisations reported. The students are demanding a 75 percent increase in grants, more places in secondary education institutions and a state-funded office for their organisation. Since the New Year, they have refused to resume classes and threatened of continue the boycott until their demands have been met.

NIGER: Flexibility urged

Former Niger President Mahamane Ousmane appealed to the government on Tuesday to be flixible in dealing with those accused of involvement in a recent coup plot, Radio France International reported. Eleven opposition figures, including former Prime Minister Hama Amadou, and two other prominent opposition leaders were arrested on 2 January for allegedly plotting to assassinate the head of state.

Niger has been troubled since the 1996 coup in which Amadou's government was overthrown by Ibrahim Bare Mainassara. He subsequently won a landslide victory in the July 1996 presidential elections after dismissing the independent electoral commission during the election campaign. The international community denounced the poll and suspended direct financial aid to the government.

CAMEROON: Journalist to stand trial

The editor-in-chief of the opposition daily, 'Le Messager', Pius Njawe, will be tried "for propagating false information" on 13 January, AFP said Wednesday. In a dispatch quoting legal sources, it said Njawe faced up to two years in prison and a fine of FF 20,000. He was arrested 24 December following an article in the paper suggesting President Paul Biya had heart problems.

Abidjan, 7 January 1998, 19:45 gmt

[ends]

[The material contained in this communication comes to you via IRIN West Africa, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. UN IRIN-WA Tel: +225 21 73 66 Fax: +225 21 63 35 e-mail: irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci for more information or subscription. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this report, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. IRIN reports are archived on the Web at: http://www.reliefweb.int/emergenc or can be retrieved automatically by sending e-mail to archive@dha.unon.org . Mailing list: irin-wa-updates]

Date: Wed, 7 Jan 1998 20:06:31 +0000 (GMT) From: UN IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@wa.dha.unon.org> Subject: IRIN-West Africa Update 118, 98.1.7 Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.3.95.980107195625.1183A-100000@wa.dha.unon.org>

Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar

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